


Hogsmeade

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [29]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:19:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13351602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: The trio visits Hogsmeade.Thank you Ina (leopah) for beta-ing me <3





	Hogsmeade

By the time Yukine’s birthday came around in late November, Hiyori’s arm had healed completely – which was just as well, as ice had taken hold of the castle and made it difficult to walk to classes. Coupled with the thick snowfall that had fallen the night before, it was nearly impossible for anyone to walk through the castle without soaking half of their robes.

Yato, unusually generous, gifted Yukine a Remembrall: _‘something that tells you when you’ve forgotten something’_ , Yukine explained to Hiyori. The only problem was that it didn’t tell you _what_ you had lost.

That was where Yato’s trick came in.

Whenever he could, he would sneak an object out of Yukine’s bag and casually point out the Remembrall had red smoke, leaving Yukine digging through his bag and cussing when he couldn’t work out what was missing, whether it be a sweet wrapper or a stray ball of parchment.

Despite Hiyori telling him the Remembrall was probably broken and he should stop listening to it, Yukine swore he would find what he was missing if it was the last thing he would ever do.

This farce ended the weekend before Christmas when Hiyori entered the Great Hall, walking up to where Yato and Yukine were eating breakfast. She was about to call out to them when she spotted Yato pinching a quill out of Yukine’s bag, and noticed the Remembrall on the table turning red a second later, rumbling Yato’s prank that had driven Yukine mad for the last month.  

“So _that’s_ why it keeps going red!” Hiyori pointed an accusatory finger at Yato, causing him to jump and try to look innocent despite the tip of the quill sticking out from under his leg. Yukine looked at where she was pointing, and putting it together, flew into a rage.

Yato cracked up as Yukine beat his fist on his arm, holding his hands up for mercy and apologising through his snorts of laughter. Yukine cussed him out, shoving the Remembrall in his jacket and biting angrily into a piece of toast.

Hiyori sat down opposite the two, shaking her head and helping herself to steaming porridge from the large bowl in front of her and heaps of strawberry jam.

“Aww, the Puff’s pouting,” Yato grinned, chin in hand and his other arm on the table.

“Rightly so,” Hiyori scolded.

Yato’s lazy grin moved to Hiyori, and at that moment he noticed her attire. A thick lilac coat trimmed with tufts of creamy fur, a yellow knitted hat that had two peaks resembling cat ears jammed on her head, and a Gryffindor scarf wound so many times around her neck she had to push it down to breathe.

“Going somewhere?” Yato asked. “Like, Antarctica?”

Hiyori shook her head, covering her hand with her mouth as she spoke around a mouthful of food. “Class trip. Hogsmeade.”

Yato ahh-ed. Third years and up had the privilege of visiting the nearby village in their free time to explore the sleepy shops and cafes it offered. Yato looked at Yukine’s thinner, less wintery attire.

“Not going?”

“No permission slip,” Yukine answered.

Yato let out a whoosh of air. Considering Yukine’s circumstances, he probably would never get one. Then again, Yato would never get one either, but still…

“That didn’t stop me.”

Yukine and Hiyori stared at Yato, then at each other.

“Come on,” Yato wheedled, nudging his shoulder against Yukine’s. “You know you want to go. Why get permission?”

Hiyori began to feel a familiar sinking feeling because she knew that whatever he was planning, it wasn’t allowed – and it was going to get them in trouble.

“And how am I going to walk out of the school gates with no permission slip?” Yukine responded icily. It seemed Yato had forgotten that there were _Dementors_ looking for people who weren’t supposed to be out.

Instead, Yato gave him a wicked smirk, eyes shining and his voice dropping to a hushed whisper.  

“Who said anything about school gates?”

 

~

 

“God, you stink.”

Yukine was huddled under Yato’s invisibility cloak. They had hustled to get ready for their ‘Great Escape’, each donning thicker coats and warm boots before meeting on the stairs connecting their dorms.

Unfortunately for Yukine, his head was now level with Yato’s shoulders, leaving him with a face full of armpit as they trudged through one of the dingy secret passages that led from Hogwarts straight to Honeydukes – their rendezvous point with Hiyori.

“I’ve been told I smell nice, actually,” Yato boasted. He had been told this, even if the person who said it _was_ sleep talking at the time.

Yukine made a face. “Who told you that, someone with no sense of smell?”

Yato flushed at the question. He couldn’t say it was Hiyori, or that it was sleep talk, or that it was because they were chest to chest. _‘Yeah, she was curled up next to me in her sleep and said it, but she doesn’t know’_.  Yato could imagine the response – and god forbid Yukine tell her.

“S-someone.”

Yukine huffed, falling silent as they climbed the steeper path before it gave way to a hatch above their heads. Cautiously, Yato pushed the door open and checked that the coast was clear before pulling the invisibility cloak off their heads.

Yukine wriggled up first, pushed by Yato, who (with far too much experience) easily lifted himself up after. Kicking the trapdoor back in place and tiptoeing up the creaky wooden stairs to the shop floor, Yato and Yukine melded in with the scores of students and wizened witches and wizards that had swarmed the shop, going unnoticed as they slipped out from behind the counter.

Honeydukes was painted mint green but was bursting with many more colours. Rows of bottles filled with brightly coloured sweets were tucked in every nook and cranny, along with the array that littered every surface of the shop and made it difficult to move around without getting a lollipop stuck on your coat, which was made harder by the sheer number of students that had crammed themselves in the small shop.

Yato could see Kazuma and Bishamon were among the younger, first-timer students, apparently the only other fourth years in the shop. Yato ducked his head – Bishamon hadn’t caught him yet, and he wanted it to stay that way.

It didn’t take long for Yukine to point out Hiyori who was tucked near the exit reading numbers on jars of sweets she didn’t recognise. They battled their way over to her and Yukine tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around she gave him a bright smile.

“Did anyone see you?” she asked, looking around to make sure there were no lingering teachers who would notice that two of their party were out of school bounds.  

Yukine wrinkled his nose. “No, but I nearly saw the light having to breathe in his sweat.”

“Hey!”

Hiyori smiled again at Yukine’s jibe, ignoring the offended look Yato gave them. “Come on, I want to explore.”

As they pushed the door open, a harsh winter draft hit their faces and blew their hoods down and a winter wonderland greeted them.  

The rows of old shops were blanketed in a thick layer of snow, nearly hiding the black detail of the Tudor-like houses and vibrant holly wreaths.

Candles floated in the trees, enchanted to give a warm glow to the decorations that were hung there for the festive period. The village was the only all-wizarding village in Britain, so all manner of shops existed for them to visit as they pleased.

Yukine popped his head in the Herbology shop, interested in the variety of snapping plants in the window. He emerged pink-cheeked a second later, mumbling something about Suzuha being in the shop with a few of his friends to which Yato smirked and ruffled the cream-blue hat on his head.

Walking along, the trio found shops stocking supplies for students who might pay visits to Hogsmeade. Frosted cauldrons and rigid brooms were half buried in the snowdrift that had piled up to the windowsill of every shop on the main street, making it difficult for the few carriages that did manage to make their way through the village.

A few owls battled their way through the wind with parcels of varying sizes, vanishing inside the loft of a shop on their left which had ‘ _Owl Post Office’_ inscribed in bold lettering. No doubt Christmas was a busy – and messy – time in there.

They passed a music shop where an unlikely band of recorders, pianos, and guitars played a rackety tune in the window, nearly blocking out the witch at the counter who had jammed a pair of ear mufflers on her head.

To their surprise, the trio spotted Madame Kofuku dragging Professor Daikoku over to Madame Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. Hiyori hissed for the boys to hide, but it didn’t seem they would need to.

Professor Daikoku’s usually gruff expression was replaced by an endearing look as he watched Madame Kofuku chatter away. She seemed equally engrossed in what little he had to say to her enthusiastic talk before they both vanished into the shop.

“I wonder if they’re dating.” Yukine made a disgusted face as he said this, but nevertheless they crept up and peeked through the window.

The café was unbelievably pink: pink doilies, pink tablecloths, pink flowers, just pink. Aside from that, a prominent feature was that all the customers happened to be couples. This fact seemed to slide by Yato as he looked at the sundae dish of a bewildered couple in their view.

“It looks good,” Yato said, not realising that they thought he meant the lovey-dovey shop when they gave him incredulous looks. Yukine shook his head and wandered over to the adjoining shop, but Yato paid no attention.

“We should go in sometime.” Yato said, not realising the implications.

Hiyori, who was stood by his side, turned as pink as the shop’s painted exterior and choked on her words and spun around abruptly.

“I want to go in there.” Yukine was pointing further up the road at a snowy sign above a door – ‘ _The Three Broomsticks’_.

Yato’s face brightened at the idea. “The butterbeer’s good.”

He straightened up, losing interest in the café and marched on with Yukine, leaving a speechless Hiyori to follow in their wake through the slushy snow.

The door of the Three Broomsticks was hurled open from the inside as Yukine reached for the doorknob. Yato grabbed Yukine’s coat hood and pulled him out of the way, sweeping Hiyori back with his free arm as two red-faced wizards fell out into the path, roaring with laughter and slapping each other so hard on the back it was a miracle they didn’t fall over themselves again.  

Hiyori stared dumbfounded, wondering how this was a pub that students were allowed to go into, when Yato cheerfully pushed Yukine forward again. He struggled with the oaken door, managing to pull it open after a brief struggle with the snow which had piled up in a drift, and stamped his boots on the doormat as he entered. Yato followed suit.

Hiyori caught the door before it shut and looked behind her, checking for any sign of a Professor coming to lecture them on entering public houses at the age of 13, but only saw smatterings of students bundled up against the weather.

The picturesque view of the valley opposite caught her attention for a moment, and she wished she had her mobile phone to take a picture. Hiyori paused and craned her neck, eyes squinting as she made out an ebony forest in the white world, alongside a large building.

The door was pulled open abruptly and Hiyori jumped back, half expecting another person to tumble out into the snow. Instead it was Yato, coming to look for her when he realised she hadn’t followed them in.

“What’s wrong, Hiyori?”

His cheeks were rosy from the warmth indoors compared to the winter outside. He looked up the street before back at Hiyori, who was staring at the distance.

“What’s that?”

Hiyori was pointing to the skeleton of a wintery forest opposite the pub. Yato frowned before realising there was a black silhouette beyond the forest, an infamous building he was surprised she didn’t know about.

“Oh,” Yato said, “that’s the Shrieking Shack.”

Hiyori tilted her head and looked up at Yato who had joined her on the porch, leaning against the frame. “Why does it shriek?”

Yato's expression turned into one of mock horror before he looked behind them to ensure no one was listening. He bowed his head down to Hiyori, who looked both confused and worried over the sudden change in atmosphere.

“It’s most haunted house in Britain,” Yato whispered as if saying it would bring about a curse, “filled with the souls of the damned.”

Yato’s face was deadly serious for a moment, eyes staring into Hiyori’s and making her shrink back and regret asking, before it split into a grin.

“Gotcha.”

Hiyori hit him on the arm with a protest, but he retaliated by pulling her hat over her eyes with a laugh. Pushing the small of her back, Yato lightly guided her into the warmth of the pub, weaving through the mismatch of tables as Hiyori yanked her hat off and brushed her hair from her eyes.

Yukine had saved a table next to the fireplace where groups of deer skulls were mounted, their twisted antlers shining in the firelight of the hearth and the candle jars that floated overhead.

They shrugged off their damp coats and scarves, flinging them over the backs of their chairs and letting the warmth wash over them as Yato went to the bar. He returned a few minutes later with three tankards, spilling amber liquid topped with frothy heads as he set them down on the table and pushed two toward Yukine and Hiyori.

Yato flopped down in the seat next to Hiyori with Yukine opposite, raising his own tankard in a toast. “Bottoms up.”

Hiyori cupped her tankard and took a small sip, and her taste buds exploded with butterscotch foam. It certainly didn’t taste alcoholic; it was sweet and creamy and refreshing, nothing like she expected.

“Mmm,” Hiyori mumbled, placing her cup back on the table with her fingers still interlaced around it. “It’s nice.”

Yukine took one look at Hiyori and snorted in his drink, followed by Yato when he looked sideways at her. It was at that moment she noticed how close they were sitting – practically rubbing shoulders with his face very close and his eyes lit up with laughter. The next thing she noticed was his smell. She didn’t quite know what it was – it wasn’t unpleasant or pungent like Yukine had said. It was just…Yato.

It took Hiyori a second to snap back and remember they were laughing at her. “What is it?”

Yato looked down and smiled at the table before looking back at Hiyori’s confused expression, trying to ignore Yukine’s spluttering coughs. “Nice moustache.”

Hiyori quickly wiped her mouth with her jumper sleeve, white foam coming away. She felt her face burn with embarrassment and rubbed at her mouth some more.

“Funny,” she said, blushing hard at Yato’s amused grin.

Hiyori didn’t quite know what to do after their chuckling died down, now hyper-aware of how close she was to Yato and leaving her wondering why she felt so warm when she smelled his scent mingled with the sweetness of butterbeer.

The pub door burst open with a scraping of wood on stone, bringing a draft that made Hiyori shiver. Yato, however, had lost his smile and turned a shade of purple as he tried – and failed – to hide his face behind his hand from the new entrants.

One of these was Bishamon, who had caught sight of Yato and was now glaring daggers at his shielded face. She gave a friendly wave to Hiyori and Yukine, who nervously waved back. It seemed that her entourage – plus Kazuma – deterred her from making a scene.

“She won’t do anything,” Hiyori said with a satisfied smile. “She knows that you had nothing to do with the accident.”

“I wish you’d told me that before,” Yato huffed, dropping his hand to pick up his butterbeer. “I don’t like living in fear.”

Hiyori chuckled, happy to have some sort of revenge when Yukine suddenly leapt up, knee banging the underside of the table and coughing on his butterbeer as he looked down at the floor beside him.

Before they could ask what happened, Yukine explained for them with his surprised exclamation

“It’s the cat!”

Hiyori peered around the edge of the table whilst Yato leaned over. The same cat they had seen the day of their Boggart lesson – the one they assumed was a stray – sat by Yukine’s leg, green eyes wide and meowing softly at him.

Yukine reached down and scratched the top of its head with a finger. “I told you it likes me.”

Yato pulled a face. “It looks even worse than it did a few months ago.”

The cat’s fur had grown even more matted, covered in dirt that clumped its fur painfully. It was hard to tell, but Yukine was sure it was a Maine Coon. It stood and rubbed itself against Yukine’s leg, leaving bits of fur and muck covering his trouser leg.

“He just needs a bath,” Yukine said.

Yato looked at him. “Don’t tell me you’re going to keep it.”

“Why not?” Yukine asked, ignoring the smell as the cat jumped onto the spare seat beside him and its smell got stronger. “He’s pretty.”

Yato sighed. Hiyori was now petting the cat with a gloved finger which the cat rubbed its chin against before lapping at droplets of butterbeer from Yukine’s near-empty glass. “Good luck getting it back to the castle.”

“We should be going soon,” Hiyori commented. “The class is meant to leave soon. You two need to get back before anyone notices.”

Winding their scarves around their necks and pulling their woollen hats on, the trio fought their way outside where the snowfall had picked up into a flurry that made it nearly impossible to see the path.

Yukine clicked his tongue at the cat, calling it to follow out into the snow which had deepened by a foot in their time in The Three Broomsticks. The moment it padded its way into the snow, the cat fell off an invisible step, sinking so deep that Yukine had no choice but to pick it up despite its hissing and stench.

Hiyori waved goodbye to them, having to meet her class at the other end of the village, while Yato and Yukine would have to sneak back to the castle via Honeydukes’ cellar.

Yato protested when Yukine tried to wriggle the cat under the invisibility cloak, arguing that it could walk. Yukine on the other hand, growled about how he could use the cat’s fur to stop himself choking on Yato’s sweat stains, and flung the cloak over himself.

Yato gave an exasperated sigh. How could he stink when that cat smelled like it had been living in a swamp for a year?

He raised the cloak to duck under before he felt eyes on him. Yato paused, looking around with a cynical eye. He knew this feeling – it had been following him all summer, and now it was back.

Yukine asked what he was doing, but Yato batted his hand for silence. His gaze alighted on an alley between two rickety houses on his right. Even though the snow was falling thickly, he could make out a black shape that shifted in the alleyway, telling him it was alive… and it was watching him.

Yato took an involuntary step forward. He knew what it was, deep down, but how could it possibly be…unless…

In an instant the creature was gone, vanishing back into the shadows without a trace. Yukine tugged the cloak, telling him to hurry up. Yato threw the cloak over his head and they began walking.

Yato stared at the alley as they passed. He was certain he’d seen something like that before – but not just in Knockturn Alley. Its dark fur and feral appearance with glowing eyes that kept finding him were the markings of something any wizard was taught to fear should it ever cross their path; an omen of death.

The Grim.

**Author's Note:**

> God they're so cute. Who knew the Daifuku would be a thing?  
> Lets hope nothing bad will happen now Yato's seen the Grim again... :3c  
> Fun fact: The winter outfits I used are the same that they wear in OVA 3.


End file.
